Radiation attenuation of SiO2-MgO glass system for shielding applications

Silicate glasses are an essential material in many industries due to their unique properties. In this study, we aim to investigate the potential of (100-x) SiO2-xMgO (x = 5, 20, 35, and 55 mol%) glass system to use for medical and nuclear applications. The silicate oxide is reduced and the MgO is added accordingly with different concentrations of 5, 20, 35, and 55 mol%, with sample codes of SM1, SM2, SM3, and SM4, respectively. The goal of such change is to develop glasses with optimum radiation attenuation properties. The Mass attenuation coefficient (MAC) of the glasses, for different photon energies, is calculated using the Geant4 Monte Carlo simulations and the XCOM photon cross section database. The simulation results provide vital data on the shielding effectiveness of the glass compositions against photon radiation. The obtained findings showed that the radiation attenuation properties can be tailored by adjusting the relative concentrations of the constituting glass oxides, such as SiO2 and MgO. For example, the best shielding performance is observed for the SM1 sample, with the highest concentration of SiO2, among the studied glasses. Furthermore, the shielding performance of the studied glasses is compared with some famous materials previously considered in recent publications. Therefore, the present glasses show promising shielding performance, with high effective and low-cost, for potential use in real radiation sources for experimental validation.